Artist Statement

I AM A SELF DECLARED POST-MODERN ECOLOGICAL ARTIST. The vision for my work is to elevate “Native Wild Spaces” to Places to be revered and protected. Agricultural and suburban sensibilities are quick to dismiss or insist be these Native Wild Spaces be cleared out. They appear too chaotic to fit into an orderly landscape. Residential lawns being the largest mono-crop in our countryand gardens minus their native plants are unsustainable. My work is to show Native Wild Spaces as Essential Places to value, defend and to restore diversity to our landscapes. I hope to shape people’s ideas of what having lawns and gardens mean in light of climate change, loss of natural habitat and species endangerment.

ON BIRDS
Birds are ubiquitous but how silent the world would be without them. Stemming from my background in biology and on-going fascination with animal behaviorism (psychology), my approach is to show birds as sentient beings with feelings (love, caring, competition, stress), language, and relationships. I look to show a bird’s personality, a life in their eyes versus an Aububon correctness.

MAKER OF LITTLE BOOKS
Creating little books has been a life-long practice starting when I was very young and binding my volumes with a household stapler. Combining my ridiculous love of children’s picture books, a background in publishing, and courses in book arts, my little books are best understood by grownups who enjoy little surprises, a smile, a good laugh along with a good story.

AS A TRADITIONAL (VISUAL) and digital artist, I work with watercolor, pen and ink, oil pastels, metal point, typography and the book arts. My style ranges from interpretative realism to illustrative whimsy. Whatever I create I believe “there is a story behind it, either real or slightly made up.”